Are you the "little guy" in your field, facing enormous odds, surrounded by giants who have the advantage of size, resources, and reputation? Are you wondering what it will take to survive, much less come out ahead, when anybody with half a brain can see that you're the underdog?!
A lot of our clients and friends are in this boat. That's why we're passing along a link to this article by Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, Blink, and a new book called Outliers, about the patterns that can be found in the histories of successful people. Gladwell's article in this month's New Yorker magazine is called How David Beats Goliath: Why Underdogs Break the Rules.
Underdogs, Gladwell warns, don't always win. In fact, in all the wars fought over the past 200 years, "Goliath" won 70% of the time. What is remarkable, of course, is that "David" ever wins at all. It seems unbelievable that they win 30% of the time! So, how does that happen? How does "David" beat the giant? Gladwell uses a variety of examples ranging from T.E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia) to a girl's "little league" basketball team to illustrate of couple of important patterns:
- Look for the Soft Spot - Underdogs who win don't try to take on their opponent at their opponent's strongest point - they don't try to go head-to-head - instead, they attack at their opponent's weakest point. David doesn't take Goliath down in hand-to-hand combat. He finds the soft spot, where Goliath is weak, and focuses all of his energy there.
- Prepare to Outwork Everybody Else - Underdogs who win simply work harder and put in more effort than their opponents! Goliath tends to be over-confident because of his size, reputation, and resources. David never quits!
- Break the Rules - Underdogs who win don't play by the rules - they are creative and daring, willing to do the unexpected and even the unorthodox for the sake of beating their opponent. David puts down the heavy armor and sword even though everyone around him thinks he's crazy for doing it, and he picks up a handful of smooth stones. He's not afraid to break the rules. In fact, that's his only hope.
Here are a couple of purposeful questions you (and your leadership team) might ask yourself if you're the underdog in your field:
- Who are the big dogs in our field? What are they really good at? (i.e., What should we not even bother trying to do because we can never do it as good as they can?!)
- What are the big dogs not so good at that we are and/or can excel at? (i.e., Where should we be focusing our energy and resources?)
- Do we believe we have something worth working for? How willing are we to do what it takes to succeed?
- In what ways are we letting "the rules," societal norms, conventional wisdom, and "the way things have always been done" squash our creativity and get in the way of what needs to be done?
- Who can help us see things differently, think up new ways of doing things, and bust out of our habits and traditions?
- Are we willing to be challenged by these new voices? Are we willing to take some risks?
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P.S. If you're in an underdog position, you may need the help of a good coach or consultant to help you ask these (and other purposeful) questions, keep you on track especially when you get worn out, and encourage you as you move in new and risky directions. At A.R.E. we have a lot of experience working with people and organizations who look more like David than Goliath. In fact, in a lot of ways we are a David organization! Maybe we should talk.
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